Hey y’all, welcome back to Unfit to Print. 

Today we’re covering Bill Pulte’s nomination to lead ODNI, the ‘circus’ hearings in Congress, updates in the SPLC indictment, and a stunning admission from Jill Biden’s book. 

TRUMP’S INTEL MAKEOVER

President Donald Trump tapped Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte to serve as acting Director of National Intelligence after Tulsi Gabbard stepped down in May to support her husband through his cancer treatment. 

Pulte, the grandson of billionaire PulteGroup founder William J. Pulte, will reportedly keep running FHFA while taking over the intelligence post, raising questions about whether it’s wise to have someone in the role whose attention will be pulled elsewhere. 

The appointment allows Trump to avoid a Senate confirmation fight, as the Federal Vacancies Reform Act allows Trump to temporarily install an already Senate-confirmed official in another Senate-confirmed position for up to 210 days.

The bigger problem seems to be, though, Pulte’s lack of experience. He has no known intelligence background. Further, at FHFA, he has made headlines for helping push the 50-year mortgage idea, reportedly irritating Trump allies by jumping the gun on the proposal. He was also reportedly connected to the Trump-Jesus image that triggered backlash from conservatives earlier this year.

He has also apparently managed to get on Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s bad side. Bessent reportedly clashed with Pulte at a private dinner in 2025, and when Sen. Thom Tillis asked Wednesday whether he had threatened to punch Pulte in the face, Bessent replied that he had actually said he was going to “kick his ass.”

Senate Republicans have made very clear that they don’t like Pulte, while Senate Democrats say they’re committed to not reauthorizing FISA while Pulte is in the job. 

Trump will have to decide if swapping out Tulsi for a more loyal replacement — one who hasn’t made public comments against Middle East excursions — will be worth it. 

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